Kite, Jacob 1892 October 28th Devizes
An inquest was held at Devizes on Saturday evening, on the body of Jacob Kite, labourer, aged 35, who died on the previous day under very peculiar circumstances. Deceased had been in the army, but had latterly eked out a precarious livelihood. He was at Devizes fair on Thursday and in the evening stayed at a public lodging house. He went to bed early, complaining of feeling ill. He got up at half-past two in the night to go downstairs, but in lifting up the trapdoor at the head of the ladder he let it fall heavily on the toe of the right foot, which was cut badly, and a considerable loss of blood ensued.
Next morning he was taken to the doctors, where upon he put on his boots, and said he could walk quite well and felt much better. The doctor advised him to go to the workhouse infirmary, and gave him a note to the medical officer to that effect. The man, however, did not go to the medical officer, as directed, but went on into the town, where, an hour later, he was found by the police in a fainting condition and taken to the workhouse. He was put to bed, restoratives administered, and food given him. He rallied considerably and chatted with his attendants. Whilst in the act of looking through an illustrated paper, he suddenly turned over in the bed and expired.
Under these circumstances – the wound to the toe not being a serious one – it was deemed advisable to have a post mortem examination, and Dr Lane, who conducted the autopsy, discovered extensive pneumonia of the right lung, pleurisy, and a large clot of blood in the right ventricle of the heart. The latter was the cause of death, and was probably the result of pneumonia. The wound to the toe had nothing to do with the death of deceased.
The jury (of whom Mr Edward Laver was foreman) returned a verdict in accordane with the medical testimony.
Wiltshire Coroner's Inquests 1801-1920 